Prosecutors to lead investigation of broadcaster’s shooting

PROSECUTORS WILL take the lead in the investigation on the shooting of a broadcaster in the province of Sultan Kudarat, an official from the Department of Justice (DoJ) said. DoJ Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said prosecutors will lead a case build-up as Administrative Order No. 01 mandates that incidents involving media workers are automatically investigated. “It’s a special mechanism where prosecutors lead a team of investigators with law enforcers as team members,” he told reporters in a mobile phone message. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, in a Facebook post Wednesday, said Radyo ni Juan Station Manager Benjie Caballero was shot five times by unidentified assailants at 1 p.m. in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat. Mr. Caballero, who was shot in front of his house and is reported to be in critical condition, posted last year on his Facebook account that he was receiving death threats, NUJP said. The broadcaster is the president of the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Task on Media Security. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas